The Quest
by Paige of Hearts
Summary: Princess Alexandria finds out she has been lied to all of her life.She's not a princess in the true sense of the word and the parents who have raised her aren't her real parents.And that's not all...


**Chapter One**

A.D. 1993

The young Rachel Manee sat happily on the ground playing with dolls outside her home in Washington D.C. Her mother watched her from her perch on their front porch. Her father, Senator Manee, was away on business in Florida. That was ok though, Rachel was already used to her father being away, and she was only four years old. She was a very happy child, always smiles and giggles. Those smiles would bring forth a fate for her that none would have even imagined.

As she was playing, the telephone rang inside the house. Rachel's mother looked over at her daughter to reassure she was alright. Then she went inside to answer the phone. As soon as she was inside and away from any of the windows, a beautiful lady appeared before Rachel. Rachel's eyes grew large as she looked at the ephemeral creature in front of her. She was very tall and slim, with long white hair that was full of waves. She had porcelain-like skin and gorgeous blue eyes that seemed nearly transparent. She wore a light blue gown made of tulle and lace. Rachel thought she must be an angel. She looked up at her and displayed a big, toothy grin.

"You're awfully pretty, lady," she said innocently.

"Why thank you, child. You are a fair young miss yourself."

"Huh?" Rachel asked, confused. The woman spoke very eloquently and, while she was used to her mother's sophisticated speech, the talk was not understood.

"I mean, Miss Rachel, I think you are a 'pretty' little lady."

"Fank you," the child beamed, grateful for any compliment that came her way.

"You are quite welcome. I wonder, would you like to come with me someplace?"

"Oh. I'm not s'posed to go anywhere wif strangers."

"But I'm not really a stranger, am I? I know who you are. You are Rachel Manee. And I am Lady Eleanora."

"Oh. Well, hi. Hey, are you a princess?"

"I once was. However, now I am a bit _higher_ than a princess."

"Oh. So you're a queen."

"Perhaps," Lady Eleanora said, not sure how to explain what she was to the young child. She was a princess when she was younger, and indeed became a queen. But then she was called upon by the Worldly Council, an organization of people from many periods, dimensions, and even worlds or planets. She represented 14th century to 18th century Earth. She had traveled to Rachel's time to bring the child back to 18th century Europe. There was a prophesy about the girl that stated she would bring peace to not only Earth, but many other worlds as well. Rachel was The One.

"Ok," Rachel said uncertainly. She wasn't quite sure what the gorgeous lady said, but she was too young to ponder it.

"Will you come with me?"

"Umm... Well, as long as I'm back before dinnertime."

Lady Eleanora took Rachel's small hand in her own delicate one and transported her to the year 1750, where Queen Brizelda and King Alun welcomed Lady Eleanora and her young guest. What innocent Rachel didn't know–couldn't know–was that she had been brought to the young king and queen as a daughter. Their own young girl had just died the past year and Brizelda was unable to have any more children. They looked the little girl over, and tried not to gaze too long at the child's absurd clothing; some common blue dress made of funny, woven material. They noticed her short red curls that framed a loving face. It was her eyes, though, that drew them in the most. Rachel had the most astonishing eyes. They were, in fact, what showed she was The One. Her eyes were purple, and not just any old purple. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of violet. No one else ever did or would have those same eyes; they set her apart.

A.D. 1761

Princess Alexandria strode quickly across the courtyard. She was late for her lessons again! Her mother and father would surely punish her this time. It wasn't that they were stern necessarily, they just didn't approve of her running wild all over the countryside. They really didn't even approve of her being outside of the castle for extended periods of time, but when she left the grounds they normally grew red in the face. They just didn't understand what is was like for her to be cooped up inside. It was perfectly awful. She enjoyed spending her time riding her horse, Jasper through the hills that surrounded her home. It was a good thing her parents didn't know she rode Jasper as the knights did, with a leg on either side. They would pitch a fit.

As she entered the castle, she met Rubeus, the head servant and sort of father figure to her.

"Out again, Miss?"

"Only for a bit Rubeus, I promise."

"Now if only I believed you."

Alexandria smiled sheepishly. Rubeus was surely twice as old as her father, but he had looked after her for as long as she could remember. He and his daughters, Liezel and Belle, knew Alexandria better than she knew herself.

"You really ought to spend less time outside the grounds, love, it's just not safe, nor is proper. An ambitious young man could catch you off guard."

"And what, ravage me?" she broke in before she could stop herself.

"Yes! You are such an intelligent young lady, but the world outside these walls is not how it is in those books you read. Not every character out there is heroic."

"I know, dear Rubeus," she laughed, "there are villains too."

With that, she clambered up the stairs, somehow still portraying grace, and knocked on the door to her tutor's study. Mr. Benjamin lived in the castle for the sole purpose of educating the princess. His quarters were small, and the room they used to conduct her lessons in was not furbished in the same elegance as the rest of the castle. Not that it mattered, as it was used as a classroom.

Mr. Benjamin answered with his usual smile and let her in. He was a nice man, and a good teacher, but Alexandria was a little biased. She was hopelessly in love with the man. He invaded her thoughts on a daily basis, no matter how hard she tried to keep him out. She could never let him know, of course, that would be atrocious. He wasn't an old man, actually, he was quite young. He was maybe six or seven years the princess's senior. Oh, he was handsome. He was tall, with strong arms. He had beautiful dark brown hair and the deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. And his smile, it made her ache every time it was directed at her. But he would never feel the same way about her, she felt.

"Good afternoon, Princess. You're late."

"Yes. Sorry, I was...detained."

"Yes?" he asked skeptically.

Alexandria suddenly found her fingernails to be very interesting and seemed to miss his question.

"Hmm," he smirked, "we had best start your lesson then. Today we will be covering math and science, with some french if we finish soon."

"I despise math," she moaned.

"And your marks show such."

Alexandria scowled when his back was turned.

Mr. Benjamin, or Christopher as Alexandria called him in her dreams, was writing something or another on paper for her to copy. It was going to be a long day of studying, even with his lovely presence.

Finally, after three long hours of math and science Mr. Benjamin told her she could have a break.

"You're an angel, a true angel," she said happily, getting up and stretching.

"I would have to disagree. We may as well end today's lesson. I'll see you tomorrow, on time perhaps?"

"Of course," she smiled sweetly as she left the room.

Christopher Benjamin watched her go reluctantly. She was probably the single most beautiful young lady–woman–he had ever met. Her gorgeous auburn hair, extraordinary violet eyes, tempting lips. It was more than he could bear to stand in front of her and teach her without cupping her delicate jaw in his hand and pressing his own lips upon hers. The worst thing was that he knew she felt the same. But he couldn't do a thing. Lady Eleanora and the rest of the Council had put their trust in him to teach her things no teacher from that time could teach her. He couldn't betray their trust.

As he put away his supplies, he wondered what all was in store for the feisty little woman. She was so fiercely independent and had such a strong spirit. Her adoptive parents, King Alun and Queen Brizelda didn't know what to do with her, but had she stayed in the time period she was born in, she would be a supremely popular teenager, with many young men vying for her attentions. She was so sweet too. Not a single person, servant or nobility alike could refuse her anything, in her own time period she would have been even more effective.

Christopher often pondered what she would have been like in the twenty-first century. But even more he pondered about the possibilities he'd have to be with her. She was nearly sixteen, and he had just turned twenty, although she assumed he was older. So, the age difference wouldn't be very accepted, but their social standings would be. He'd be able to wait a while before pursuing her, but in this time period, he would be waiting for an eternity. Maybe after she did whatever the Council was so sure she would do he could have her...

Alexandria walked back outside into the evening light. The sun would soon retreat and leave her world in darkness. She didn't mind though, she actually welcomed it. Her mother and father didn't know it, but she often slept out underneath the stars. The sun would awaken her and she would scramble back up to the castle and climb into her bed. She wasn't sure whether she would sleep outside that night though.

She sat down on the steps that led to the castles main entrance and leaned back. She wasn't really assuming a princessly pose, but she didn't mind. And besides, she knew Rubeus would soon appear to tell her it was time to sup. Her stomach growled at the thought and she realized she hadn't had any lunch that day. Hmm, she didn't realize how quickly the time had passed that day. It was always slow going if she tried to learn in Mr. Benjamin's lessons, but if she just listened to his voice and fantasized, time was soon gone. If only he knew how she felt... But, she reminded herself, what good would that do? It would only cause more problems, not to mention humiliate her. There was just no way he would be interested in her, he was too smart, and proper. He would never let himself fall for her like she did him.

If only she wasn't a princess, she thought wistfully. She shouldn't be one anyway, it wasn't like she had any princessly qualities. She had grace maybe, and beauty, and she was intelligent. People told her she was charming. But none of those things _really _mattered. She had seen ugly princesses (Princess Marianne of Borrowshire was a fine example), and plenty of nobility lacked grace (such as Lord Wilkins from Clowes). What Alexandria lacked, was the air of a princess. She wasn't like her peers, who fancied sitting and chatting in sowing circles. She craved the openness of the countryside. She felt the need to be free.

She realized with a start the thing that set her apart the most. She didn't want to be a princess. No. She dreaded being a princess.

A rough noise broke her thoughts and she turned around sharply. Rubeus was clearing his throat, a signal it was time for dinner.

"You may want to fix your hair," he said, ignoring the way she was sitting completely. She felt her head and realized a good deal of hair had fallen from the pins that secured her long hair atop her head.

She rearranged her hair in a hurry and walked inside with Rubeus, dusting herself off as she went.

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